Variable speed transmission



May 8, 1934'o F, s, PAPEZ 1,958,095

VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISS ION Filed Nov 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l :GD- icalali e o l i REQ@ May 8, i934. F. s` PAPEz VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION-Filed. NOV. 22, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 8, 1934. F. s. PAPEZ VARIABLESPEED TRANSMISSION Filed Nov. 22, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 3,

Patented May 8, 1934` 1,958,095 VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION Frank S.Papez, Chicago, lll.

Application November 22, 1930, Serial No. 497,472

2 claims.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic stokers andparticularly to a Stoker adapted for use in continually feeding fuel toa furnace.

One of the objects of the present invention is 5 the provision of anautomatic Stoker especially adapted for use in feedingl coal to afurnace, and includes means for regulating the amount of fuel being fedto the furnace so that the amount of fuel being fed to the furnace canbe manually controlled at a remote point, and the fuel fed to thefurnace as required.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an automatic Stoker,wherein the fuel is fed to the Stoker through the medium of individualcontainers which can be lled at the average coal yard, or at the mines,so that the filled containers can be delivered to apartment houses,dwellings, or other buildings to be heated and prevent the coal frombeing scattered about the place and reduce to a minimum the amount ofcoal dust therefrom which is a great annoyance in the handling of coal.

A further object of the invention is the pro- Vision of an automaticStoker for furnaces, which can be especially constructed for use inapartment houses, dwellings, and similar buildings whereby the feedingof the coal can be controlled at a remote point so that the feeding ofthe coal L. the furnace can be increased or decreased at the -will, ofthe operator, or according to the amount'of heat desired andsimultaneously with this adjustment, the proper amount of air isprovided according to the amount of fuel being fed into the furnace tosecure the proper combustion of. the Same.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of anautomatic Stoker including means for feeding the fuel to the furnace indif-V ferent amounts, together with means whereby the 40 automaticallyfed to the furnace,.or the feeding rof the fuel can be hand operatedaccording to the requirement.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of anautomatic Stoker for feeding fuel to furnaces, such as coal and thelike, wherein a predetermined amount of moisture is mixed with the fuelas it is received from the containers and fed to the jfurnace for aidingcombustion and producing the maximum amount of heat from the fuel. p AstillV further object of the present invention is the provision of anautomatic Stoker including manuallyla'djusted means for automaticallyfeedfeeding of the fuel can be manually regulated and Ing meiner to the`furnace wherein the feeding" mechanism can be varied according to theamount of fuel required, and wherein the fuel is fed to the feedingmechanism from separate containers which are deposited in an invertedposition upon the feeding hopper, so that the coal from the containerscan be discharged into the feeding hopper and carried direct to thefurnace, reducing to a minimum the handling of the fuel.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of anautomatic Stoker for feedingpredetermined amounts of fuel to furnaces,such as coal and the like, including means for feeding the proper amountof air and a predetermined amount of moisture as it is received from thecontainers and fed to the furnace for aiding combustion and producingthe maximum amount of heat fromfthe fuel with a minimum amount of smoke,grime, and soot which are a great waste and annoyance in the burning ofcoal, particularly coals of the cheaper and lower grades.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel features of lconstruction, the combination and arrangement ofparts hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims andshown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional viewof a Stoker constructed inaccordance with my invention, with parts thereof illustrated inelevation;

Figure 2 is an end elevation with parts broken away and illustrated inSection;

Figure 3 is a detail vertical section of the driving mechanism for thefeeding screw, with parts thereof broken away and parts illustrated inele- Vation;

'Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the driving mechanism takenon the line 4 4 of Figure 5; and,

Figure 5 is a vertical-section taken on the line 95 5 5 of Figure 4.

One of the essential features of this invention is the provision of anautomatic Stoker wherein individual containers are used for conveying'the coal or other'fuel to the building or place of 100 use, to notonlyprevent wasting of the fuel, but to reduce to a minimum the usualannoyance v from coal dust and other dirt which usually accumulatesduring the handling ofthe loose fuel, Such as coal and the like. Thesecontainers can be constructed to hold Various amounts of" fuel and canbe filled at the mines, or the average coal yard, and can be easilytransported to any desired place.' "In the accompanying drawings, itwill be noted that in Figure 1, the device is shown in charging positionas applied to a furnace generally indicated at 1. The furnace isprovided with the usual rebox 2 and grate opening 3 through which thefuel is fed to the flrebox 2. The tubular body 4 through which the fuelis fed is provided with a lateral offset portion 5 communicating withthe grate opening 3, so that the fuel can be fed upwardly directly intothe flrebox.

'I'he outer end of the tubular member 4 is provided with an upwardlyextending portion 6, forming a suitable hopper or receiving receptaclefor the fuel and at the upper end of the portion 6 there is provided anannular flange 7 upon which hopper 8 is mounted, the hopper carrying anangular part 9, one flange of which rests upon the lateral flange 7 andis connected thereto by means of pins 10, anchored in flange 7.

The receptacles 11 which contain the fuel are fitted upon the upper openend of the hopper 8 and are connected thereto by means of pivotedcatches 12. The lower end of the hopper 8 is normally closed by means ofthe swinging doors 13, which upon the release of latch pins 13', andunder the weight of the fuel, will move to an open position, as shown bythe dotted lines in Figure 1. In the bottom of the hopper there isprovided a screen 14, to screen the fuel as it passes into thereceptacle members, so as to prevent foreign matter from entering thefurnace with the fuel, and otherwise breaking or injuring any part orparts of the several mechanisms providing for: an automatic stoker. x

In order to determine when the receptacle 11, mounted on the hopperlisempty, I provide a signal device in the form of a pivoted arm 15 havingcontact members 16 connected therewith which are in intimate engagementwhile the fuel is flowing through the hopper 8. However, as soon as thefuel ceases flowing through the hopper 8, the arm 15 will move to anupright position, as shown in Figure 1, and break the circuit?.V Theconductors 17 may be'connected to a signal light, so that while the fuelis being fed through the hopper, the light will be 'burning due to theengagement of th contacts 16. However, when the fuel in the receptacle11 has been exhausted, and it is necessary to replace the emptycontainer with a filled one, the arm\15 will move upwardly, breaking thecircuit and cutting oi the light.

Arranged within the tubular member 4 is the conveyor screw 18 carried bythe shaft 19. This shaft and conveyor screw not only extend through thetubular member 4, but pass through the member 6 and beneath the upwardextension 5, so that the fuel gravitating downwardly from the receptacle11 will be carried forward by the screw conveyor 18 until it reaches thereversed night 20 in the screw, this reversed iiight being particularlyadapted for use in urging the fuel upwardly through the grate opening 3to the ilrebox, so that the fuel will be. continually fed to the furnaceas fast as the top is burned off,

Y providing a continuous supply of fuel to the firebox. e'

The outer end of the shaft 19 extends into the housing 21 which isattached to the tubular member 4 and the part 6 by means of bolts 22.Arranged within the housing 21 and keyed to the shaft 19 is a disc 23having an annular flange 24 extending laterally from one side thereof.As shown in Figure 4, the hub 25 of disc 23 is of substantially the samewidth as the ange 24 and is attached directly to the shaft 19 by meansof set screw 26.

Loosely mounted upon the bushing 27 which has a press flt on the shaft19, is a hub 27' carrying a lateral clutch member 28. The clutch member28 is arranged within the flange 24, as shown in Figure 4, and carries aplurality of dogs 29 which are normally urged into biting andcompressive engagement /with the inner surface of flange 24 by means ofcoil springs 30 which are disposed between the brackets 31 and one sideof the dogs.

Extending outwardly from one side of the clutch body 28, is aninternally threaded lug 32, receiving a stud 33 which passes through asleeve 34 at one side of an arcuate crank arm 35. The other end of thearcuate crank arm 35 is provided with a sleeve 36 mounted upon the studbolt 37. The stud bolt 37 is connected to a bearing housing 38 in whichis mounted the follower roll 39.

Mounted upon the shaft 19 within the housing 2l is a large worm gear 40having a comparatively large hub 41 which is mounted upon suitableroller bearings 42 which are retained in spaced relation by means of acollar 43, keyed to the shaft 19, as shown in Figure 4. y i

A stop plate 44 is attached to one side of the hub 41 and prevents thebearing members 42 from leaving the hub at one side, while the bearingmembers at the other side of the hub are retained in position by meansof a cam 45, attached to the hub 41 at the side of the gear opposite theplate 44.

The cam 45 is eccentrically connected to the hub and is adapted tocontact the follower roll 39, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

In order to impart movement to the gear 40, a worm-46 is mounted on thedrive shaft 47, connected to an electric motor 48, whereby continuousrotary movement of the gear 40 will be provided for.

Formed integral with one sideV of the housing 2l l is a bearing sleeve48', in which the outer end of the shaft 19 is mounted, a collar 49being arranged' on .the shaft at one end of the sleeve 48', while ingshaft 19.

Extending outwardly from one side of thehousing 21 and connecting withthe interior thereof is a sleeve 55 supported by means of a bracket 56.Slidably mounted within the sleeve` 55 is the tubular follower sleeve57, which carries the bearing housing 38 and roller 39.

The inner end of the tubular sleeve 57 is closed by means of an internalstop collar 58 through which is mounted for free rotation an adjustingscrew 59 having adjustably mounted thereon a nut 60. The outer end ofthe screw is comparatively smooth, as shown at 61, and is rotatablymounted in a suitable bearing 62 with a pinion 63 mounted upon the outerextremity of the screw. The screw is retained against longitudinalmovement by means of a collar 64 arranged at one end of the bearingsleeve 62, while the pinion 63 is arranged at the other end of thebearing sleeve 62.

Positioned between the adjustable nut 60 and the bearing housing 38 is acoil spring 65 which normally urges the sleeve 57 outwardly as theroller 39 travels about the cam 45. However the nut can be adjustedalong the screw 59 to vary the longitudinal movement of the sleeve 57,this being done in order to regulate the movement of the arm 35 for 'therotation of the clutch 28.

A stud shaft 66 is detachably connected with a bearing sleeve 67supported by sleeve 55, and on stud shaft 66 is a gear 68, meshing withpinion 63. Also keyed to the gear 68 for rotative movement on the shaft66, is a bevel gear 69, meshing with a similar gear 70 on the lower endof shaft 71. This adjusting shaft, or plurality of the same, may extendto any desired point where it is necessary to locate the manual controlmechanism.

The control mechanism may be in the shape of a hand Wheel, or othersimilar device attached to the upper end or plural extension of shaft 71for imparting a rotative movement thereto.

Arranged at one side of the housing 21 is a fan wheel and chamber 72provided with an inlet opening 73 in which is arranged a movable shutter74. 'I'he slats of the shutter are connected to an adjustable rod 75which in turn is connected to a sleeve 76 on a threaded portion 77carried by shaft 71, so that when shaft 71 is actuated for adjusting thestress of spring 65, to regulate the amount of fuel being fed by thescrew 18, the shutter 74 may also be actuated simultaneously therewithfor regulating the amount of intake of air to be fed simultaneously withthe fuel.

It has been found by experience that by providing a certain amount ofmoisture with the fuel,

the combustion will be increased and the heating quality of the fuelwill be also increased and, therefore, I provide the tubular member 4with an opening 78 which communicates with a supply pipe 79 in which isarranged a needle valve 86, actuated by a pivoted arm 81 which isdisposed in the path of a trip 82, so that as the hand grips 54 rotatewith the shaft 19, the trip 82 will contact with the pivoted arm 81 andopen the valve at predetermined intervals, providing a predeterminedamount of water to the fuel as it is fed through the tubular member 4.

In some instances, the sleeve 57 may necessarily be cylindrical, and inthis case, the sleeve is provided with longitudinal slots 83, andpositioned within these slots are the inner ends of the bolts 84 carriedby sleeve 55 which prevents rotation of sleeve 57 in the bearing sleeve55.

As set forth heretofore, it is preferred to use individual containersfor supplying fuel to the receptacle 6, one of the containers beinggenerally indicated at 1l. Bygusing these individual containers, it notonly reduces to a minimum any waste of the fuel, but also reduces to aminimum the usual dirt which accumulates from the coal, dust and thelike, so that with this type of stoker, the coal or other similar fuelcannot only be easily handled, but will be far more sanitary than withthe old way of handling fuel.

In the operation of this device, a flre is started in the firebox 2, andthe rod or shaft 7l can be manually adjusted from remote control, orshaft 19 which carries the feed screw 18, can be operated by graspingthe hand grips 54 and rotating the shaft by hand. However, after thefire has been started, the motorv 48 is thrown into operation, and themotor drives the worm shaft 47, operating the worm 46 which imparts arotative movement to the worm gear 40, and as the worm gear 40 rotates,the cam 45 is rotated therewith. Before starting the motor, the screwmember 59 is rotated to adjust the nut 60 according to the amount ofmovement of the sleeve 57, desired.

In Figure 5, the nut 60 is adjusted to the outer end of the screw 59 forproviding a complete stroke of the follower roll. As the cam 45 rotates,the roller 39 will be urged into engagement with the cam through themedium of the coil spring 65 which is disposed between the bearinghousing 38 and the nut 60.

As shown in Figure 5, the nut 60 is adjusted to provide for the maximum'throw of the sleeve 57 thus the roller 39 will be retained in engagementwith the cam 45 at all times. As the sleeve 57 moves outwardly, with theroller, following the outlines of the cam 45, the arm 35 will beactuated to move the clutch member 28 in a backward movement, the dogs29 sliding over the inner surface of ange 24. As soon as the roller 39reaches the low point of the cam, and begins its return movement byriding to the high point of the cam, the clutch member 28 is moved in areverse direction. causing the dogs 29 to bite and press on the innersurface of flange 24 and imparting a rotative movement to this flangeand the disc 23.

lThis action just described will impart a rotative movement to shaft 19,rotating the screw 18 in the proper direction for feeding the fueltoward the furnace along the tubular member 4.

It will be noted that upon each stroke of the tubular sleeve 57. due tothe rotation of cam 45, the shaft 19 will be rotated at predeterminedamounts. conveying the fuel from the body of the receptacle portion 6toward the rebox of the furnace. As the fuel reaches the reverse flight20, it will be urged upwardly toward the grate opening 3 in the rebox,and due to the rotation of the screw, and the action of the reverseflight 20, there Will be a feeding of the fuel into the lirebox.

In order to regulate the feeding of the fue', the nut is adjusted alongthe screw member 59 and as shown in Figure 4, the nut is shown at itsinnermost position, so that the spring 65 provides for a minimum amountof action on the part of the sleeve 57. Therefore, when the nut is inthis position, the sleeve 57 is retained b v stop colar 58, andtheroller 39 will not be urged into contact with the cam 45, so thatthere will be no movement of the arm 35 and the clutch member 28.However, as the nut 60 is adjusted outwardly on the screwmember 59, thestress of the spring 65 will create a predetermined movement on the partof the sleeve 57, and as the stress of the spring is decreased, theouter movement of the sleeve 57 is increased, thus increasing the amountof rotation of the shaft 19.

In adjusting the screw member 59, rattention is directed to the factthat this can be done by remote control or suitable mechanism can beattached to the shaft 71 adjacent the furnace. However, the rotation ofthe shaft 71 will impart movement tothe gears 69 and 70, the gear 68 andpinion 63 for operating screw 59 to adjust nut 60 along the same. Whilethe screw 59 is being adjusted to vary the movement of the sleeve 57, itwill be noted that sleeve 76 is moved along the threaded enlargedportion 77 for opening and closing the shutter 74, thus simultaneouslyregulating the supply of air with the feed of the fuel, so that the aircan be supplied according to the amount of fuel being supplied to secureproper combustion in the firebox.

The air pressure within the sleeve 57 which has a tendency toaccumulate, due to the reciprocation of this sleeve, is relieved throughan outlet 85 in the housing 38.

Attention is also directed to the fact that the handwheel including thehand grips 54, at one end of the shaft 19, is rotated simultaneouslywith shaft 19, and through this rotation, the arm 82 will engage thetrip lever 81 for opening the valve at predetermined intervals to supplyan amount of water to the-fuel as it passes through thetubular member,the amount of water being governed by the amount of fuel, due to thefact that if the fuel is being fed slowly through the tube 4, therotative movement of the handwheel will be at a comparatively slow rateof speed, thus the water will be fed into the tubular member inaccordance with the amount of fuel passing therethrough.

Attention is directed to the fact that the tubular sleeve 57 is placedon a line centrally of the Shaft 19. However, this sleeve 57 may bepositioned above or below the center line and operate in an equallyefficient manner as the relative position of the cam 45 may be varied,if found desirable.

It is believed that with the use of this type of stoker described aboveand illustrated in the accompanying drawings, a great saving of fuel canbe provided for, and the inconvenience of the usual dirt accompanyingthe handling of loose fuel will be reduced to a minimum as the fuel canbe handled in containers, and these containers placed in an invertedposition above the hopper 8, as shown in Figure 1, to provide for acontinuous feeding of the fuel Without unnecessary handling.

The signal mechanism will readily signify to the operator when it isnecessary to place a iled container on the hopper. The device as a wholeis inexpensive for the purpose, and it is believed that the same can beinstalled at a comparatively low cost. While the device has beenparticularly described as for use with apartment buildings, oicebuildings, dwellings, and the like, it will be apparent that it can bemanufactured on a large scale and used in factories and various othersimilar places.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be apparent from the foregoing that slight changesmay be made in the construction when putting the invention into practicewithout departing from the spirit of the same or the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a rotatably mounted shaft, apower driven gear loosely mounted on the shaft for independent rotationrelative to the shaft, a cam member carried by the gear and arrangedeccentrically on the shaft, a reciprocating follower mounted at one sideof the shaft and adapted for engagement with the cam, means foradjusting the movement of the follower relative to the cam including acoil cornpression spring engaging one end of the follower,

and an adjustable nut for engaging the other end of the spring forincreasing or decreasing the tension thereof, and means formingoperative connection between the follower and the shaft for imparting anintermittent rotative movement thereto.

2. In a device of the class described, a rotatably mounted shaft, apower driven gear loosely mounted on the shaft independent thereof, acam member carried by the gear and arranged eccentrically on the shaft,a reciprocating follower mounted at one side of the shaft adapted forengagement with the cam for actuation thereby, means operativelyconnecting the follower and the shaft for imparting a rotative movementto the shaft in onedirection, means restricting the movement of thefollower relative to the cam to form non-operative connection betweenthe follower and the shaft, a threaded stem rotatable within nut formingmeans for adjusting and predetermining the movement of the follower andoperative connection thereto, and means for rotating the threaded sternfrom remote positions for imparting a predetermined rotative movement tothe shaft. I

FRANK S. PAPEZ.

